The deep sea

Discoveries from the deep – the Bounty Trough expedition

Te Papa fish experts Andrew Stewart and Thom Linley, and mollusc expert Kerry Walton, are part of a team that discovered well over 100 new animal species in the depths of the Bounty Trough, east of the South Island.

Quiz: New Zealand’s ugliest fish

There are some bizarre looking fish that live in the depths of New Zealand's waters. Take the quiz and expand your ugly fish knowledge.

Nine yellow fish with black eyes on a dark background

Fish on Collections Online

Te Papa holds New Zealand’s national reference collection of fishes: the National Fish Collection. It is the largest and most comprehensive collection in the country, and it is also the largest collection of New Zealand fishes anywhere in the world.

The good oil – Fish findings on the sea floor

The silvery back of the eye enhances vision in low light. Photo by Carl Struthers. Te Papa

The Fishes of New Zealand Poster

Reminiscent of the iconic fish 'n' chip shop poster, this poster from Te Papa Press features a selection of 222 fishes from the landmark 4-volume publication The Fishes of New Zealand.

Te Papa scientists examine the new sunfish

Discovering the mola tecta, a new species of sunfish

Read the story about how a sunfish washing up on our beaches and lying in our store rooms, has become the first new species of sunfish to be described in 100 years.

Crabeater seals and their mysterious attraction to the Hutt River (the sequel)

About three years ago, vertebrate curator Colin Miskelly made the ‘rash’ claim that the best bet for seeing a crabeater seal in New Zealand was to visit the mouth of the Hutt River in Wellington Harbour – and wait approximately 25 years.

Sunfish: Dissecting and preserving an ocean giant

A series of photographs showing our fish scientists carry out research on a 243kg sunfish.

How big is a sunfish?

Sunfish are the heaviest bony fish species alive today. Find out how large different species grow and how to weigh one.